Farm tile-ditcher.



M. G. BUNNELL.

FARM TILE DITCHER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. m3.

Patented J 11110 13, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET] M. G. BUNNELL.

FARM TILE DITCHER.

Patented June 13, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- uv flflhfl lilllll/illlllllllll IIIIIIII s PAENT eerie.

MORTON Gr. BUNNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 FREDERICK G. AUSTIN, 0F.

' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. i i

. FARM TILE-DITCI-IER,

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Application filed May 2, 1913. Serial No. 765,064.

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavators of that particular kind in which means are pro vided for cutting a trench as the machine moves along, as, for example, those known as farm tile ditchers, and more especially to machines of this class in which an endless series of buckets is employed for cutting the trench, and in which means are provlded for automatically discharging the load from' each bucket at the proper time.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide a novel and highly eflicient trenching machine of the foregoing general character.

Special ob ects are to provlde novel and efiective means for ejecting'the load from the buckets, and for. automatically cleaning the e ecting means to provide novel and effective mechanism for operating the endless series of buckets, permitting bodily up and down adjustment thereof to vary the depth of the ditch in which the tile isto be laid; and to provide certain details and features of improvement tending to increase the general efliciency of an excavator of this particular character.

i To these and other useful endsmy invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

:In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation of a trenching machine embodying the principles offmy invention. Fig. '2, is adetail View, on a still larger 7 scale, of the bucket dumping mechanism.

Fig. 3, is an underneath plan of the bucket shown at the top of Fig. 4:. Fig. 4r is. a section on line 6-6 in Fig. 2.

" As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a body frame A upon which the vari-* ous operative parts are suitably mounted, and which .in turn is'supported by wheels 7' B. 'The auxiliary frame C slides up'and down in the guides c, and is provided with upper and lower sprockets and '0 and the dumping sprockets c Sprocket chains D are arranged to travel around said for each said bucket.

sprockets, and are provided with buckets E, which latter are secured at 6 upon said chains, whereby the fastenings e, which may be brackets, provide a movable mounting Each bucketv is provided with a pivoted ejector e the pivot of which is located at 6 and each ejector has an arm 6. These arms 6 are of such length,

and the sprockets are of such diameter, that the axes of said sprockets, consisting of. ournals or shafts 0" and 0 do not engage said arms as the buckets move around their path of travel. The sprockets o are, however, of such diameter that the axis a there of is'in the path of travel of the arms 0 said axis consisting of an eccentrically mounted cylinder, as shown in Fig. 4. This Patented June 13,1916. 7

cylinder serves not only as an axis for the .7

sprocket wheels c but also as a cam, and as the arms 0 strike it, the ejectors e are movedfrom the back to the mouth of each bucket, thereby discharging the load. The eccentricity of said cami relative to the axis of rotation of said sprocket wheels 0 as shown, is such that theejector is forced out I of the bucket by the time the latter is turned upside down,.as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4t. This cam cylinder may be turned to the desired position and then fastened in place at its ends, in any suitable manner, on the vertically movable'frame.

The load. is dumped upon the apron 'or conveyer E, whichmay be of any suitable construction. An idler .G supports the chains 1) between the sprockets o and c Theconveyer E is driven by a sprocket connection H with the shaft 0* of the upper sprockets o r The chains D are driven by a gearing d,

which latter is in turn driven by a sprocket connectionI of any suitable character. This connection I is driven by another connection J, which latter connects with the engine K. The sprocket connection a is supported by a'link i pivoted on theframe C i and pivotally connected at i with the upper end of the vertical link M, which latter is mounted to swing on the engine shaft i With this arrangement the frame C mayrmove up and down without impairing the operativeness or; the powerv trans-f V mitting connection by which the buckets are driven, Any suitable means can be em ployed for securing the frame O at difierent heightson the guides 0," whereby the depth of the ditch is varied.

,Another feature of my invention consists in the means for automatically cleaning the ejectors e This comprises the scraper N which is mounted on thearms n which latter .are pivoted at n on a suitable portion of the frame, such as arms O, and provided with a counter weight n by which said scraper is restored to normal position. Any suitable means may be employed for bold 7 ing the scraper N'in normal position, such as the stop a on the pivot nfiwhich limits the return movement of said scraper. The

" scraper N engages the ejectors 6 as shown in Fig. 4, and cleans the surfacethereof, the

said scraper swinging outward to allow the buckets to pass and the cleaning operation v :load falls between the arms 0, being reoccurs during this outward swing. The

ceived by said conveyer.

I [form of a flat "is loaded,

endless series of excavating buckets, a mov- The buckets may be of any suitable construction. As shown, each bucket is provided with an open back having flanges 6 against which the ejector 6 which is in the plate, bears when the bucket What I claim as my invention is 1. A, trenching machine comprising an able mounting for each bucketfa pivoted Iejector'for'each bucket,'-'an armrfor each bucket,"rigid with the ejector, thereof, and

meansin thefpathof saidarms to operate the ejectors, together with upper and lower wheels for said series of buckets, the lower wheels being of a diameterto prevent said 1 arms from ntersecting the axis thereof, and

said upper wheelsbeing of less diameter to en'able'said' arms to engage said means.

2.. A trenchingmachine comprising an endless series of excavating buckets, a movable mounting for each bucket, a pivoted ejector for each bucket," -an"arm for each bucket, rigid with the ejector thereof, means I --inthe path of saidarms to operate the ejec- Copies of this patent may be obtained for tors, and a scraper for cleaning said ejectors, said scraper being movable out of the path of travelby the pressure of the ejectors thereon.

3. A trenching machine comprising an endless series of excavating buckets, a movable mounting for each bucket, a pivoted ejector for each bucket, an arm for each bucket, rigid with the ejector thereon-means ejector for each bucket, an arm for each bucket, rigid with the ejector thereof, means in the path of said arms to operate the ejectors, a pivoted cleaner for said ejectors, movable about a horizontal axis by the pressure thereon of said ejectors, and means for automatically restoring said cleaner to normal position.

5. A trenching machine comprising anendless series of excavating buckets, a movable mounting for each bucket, a pivoted ejector for each bucket, an arm for each bucket, rigid with the ejector thereof, means in the path of said arms to operate the ejectors, and means for cleaning said ejectors, movable out of the path of travel by the pressure thereon of said ejectors while said arms engage said means.

6. An excavating machine comprising a' bucket, an ejector for said bucket, a scraper for cleaning said ejectors, said bucket hav ing traveling motion relative to said scraper, said scraper being arranged to yield to the forward pressure of each ejector, and means for successively holding said ejectors in position to push the scraper out of the way.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 22nd day of April, 1913;

MORTON G. BUNNELL. WVitnesses:

H. W. MUNSON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, v Washington, D. 0. a 

